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Explore Dragons
- GenresNonfictionDragons
Unknown Binding
First published April 23, 2006
1 person want to read
About the author
Richard Freeman
27 books24 followersRichard Freeman is a cryptozoologist and the Zoological Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, the world's only full time organization dedicated to investigating mystery animals.
He has taken expeditions in search of creatures such as the giant anaconda, the yeti, the Tasmanian wolf, the Mongolian death worm, the orang-pendek, the naga, the almasty and the ninki-nanka.
He has written books on monsters and folklore and has recently branched out into horror fiction.
He has taken expeditions in search of creatures such as the giant anaconda, the yeti, the Tasmanian wolf, the Mongolian death worm, the orang-pendek, the naga, the almasty and the ninki-nanka.
He has written books on monsters and folklore and has recently branched out into horror fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2013
There is a universal fascination for dragons that is hard to quantify: they seem to appeal to folklorists, fantasy fans and fossil hunters alike. C S Lewis famously wrote a short piece of alliterative verse which neatly encapsulates the kind of reaction that discussion of dragons can give rise to:
We were talking of DRAGONS, Tolkien and I / In a Berkshire bar. The big workman / Who had sat silent and sucked his pipe / All the evening, from his empty mug / With gleaming eye glanced towards us: / “I seen ‘em myself!” he said fiercely.
Whether you’ve seen’em or not, you will no doubt have something to say about them, whether they exist, let alone existed, what size or colour they were, whether they breathed fire or merely had a poisonous bite, if they had wings. And any book about dragons therefore raises expectations in all of us; will Explore Dragons fulfil those expectations for anyone?
Richard Freeman’s CV includes graduating in zoology, a spell as Head of Reptiles in a British zoo and, as a crypto-zoologist, zoological director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology (cryptozoology is the study of unknown creatures, while Fortean Studies are dedicated to the research of unexplained phenomena). He describes some of the research he has engaged in, particularly in the Far East, and in this book gives a detailed account of dragon-lore and dragon theories from around the world.
This, however, is a very frustrating study which, while it paints a fascinating picture of eye-witness encounters, folk beliefs and modern hypotheses, fails to deliver any real measured judgements. For instance, his British bestiary lists worm, wyvern, basilisk, gwiber, serpent and so on as examples of dragons, but no zoological classification could include so many variations in wings, limbs, tails and other physical attributes. His chapter on clues and relics cites no instances of the survival of bones or skin that could be scientifically investigated. His overview of dragons around the world, compiled essentially from travellers’ accounts and local lore as well as his own expeditions, emphasises that there is a large disparity between various sightings of apparently anomalous beasts and Freeman’s confident identification of them all as dragons.
His final ‘conclusions’ are not conclusive at all but rather a short wishlist. Apart from from Ian Brown’s handsome line drawings and a useful bibliography of works cited there is little to wholeheartedly recommend. Yes, this is an exploration of dragons, but it’s hard to believe that a zoologist (or even a crypto-zoologist) could come up with such an unappetising mishmash. Expectations? Mine were certainly dashed.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-dragons
We were talking of DRAGONS, Tolkien and I / In a Berkshire bar. The big workman / Who had sat silent and sucked his pipe / All the evening, from his empty mug / With gleaming eye glanced towards us: / “I seen ‘em myself!” he said fiercely.
Whether you’ve seen’em or not, you will no doubt have something to say about them, whether they exist, let alone existed, what size or colour they were, whether they breathed fire or merely had a poisonous bite, if they had wings. And any book about dragons therefore raises expectations in all of us; will Explore Dragons fulfil those expectations for anyone?
Richard Freeman’s CV includes graduating in zoology, a spell as Head of Reptiles in a British zoo and, as a crypto-zoologist, zoological director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology (cryptozoology is the study of unknown creatures, while Fortean Studies are dedicated to the research of unexplained phenomena). He describes some of the research he has engaged in, particularly in the Far East, and in this book gives a detailed account of dragon-lore and dragon theories from around the world.
This, however, is a very frustrating study which, while it paints a fascinating picture of eye-witness encounters, folk beliefs and modern hypotheses, fails to deliver any real measured judgements. For instance, his British bestiary lists worm, wyvern, basilisk, gwiber, serpent and so on as examples of dragons, but no zoological classification could include so many variations in wings, limbs, tails and other physical attributes. His chapter on clues and relics cites no instances of the survival of bones or skin that could be scientifically investigated. His overview of dragons around the world, compiled essentially from travellers’ accounts and local lore as well as his own expeditions, emphasises that there is a large disparity between various sightings of apparently anomalous beasts and Freeman’s confident identification of them all as dragons.
His final ‘conclusions’ are not conclusive at all but rather a short wishlist. Apart from from Ian Brown’s handsome line drawings and a useful bibliography of works cited there is little to wholeheartedly recommend. Yes, this is an exploration of dragons, but it’s hard to believe that a zoologist (or even a crypto-zoologist) could come up with such an unappetising mishmash. Expectations? Mine were certainly dashed.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-dragons
January 27, 2013
I like dragons, and taken with a pinch of salt, it was good to read about dragon 'sightings' and the general worldwide folklore on dragons and the similarities between some of the myths from different countries.
However, a few negatives include 1) I couldn't read it for long without desiring a nap, 2) There are typos in the last chapter which give the impression of the last bit being rushed, 3) The conclusion isn't much of a conclusion.
However, a few negatives include 1) I couldn't read it for long without desiring a nap, 2) There are typos in the last chapter which give the impression of the last bit being rushed, 3) The conclusion isn't much of a conclusion.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews